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      One Saints Row Producer Is Upset with the Promotional Focus on Porn

      August 6, 2013 /

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      Featuring a level of absurdity that would make a “Looney Toons” segment roll its eyes, the “Saints Row” series features only the barest resemblance to real life, and instead promotes a sandbox world where absurdity rules the land, and you are encouraged to exploit every corner of it with maniacal glee.

      Nobody really takes it seriously, is what I’m getting at.

      Well actually make that almost nobody. Producer of “Saints Row 4” Kate Nelson not only cares about the quality of the game, but is also concerned about the image of the game as it relates to the use of porn stars to promote the title. Particularly, the labeling of porn actress Tera Patrick as one of the game’s executive producers, a move which Nelson has criticized as it grants an important title within the game to someone with virtually no involvement whatsoever in it.

      This wouldn’t mark the first time the series has used these tactics either, as former publisher THQ used Penthouse models, other porn actresses, and various scantily clad ladies of all walks of life to promote the game in one way or another.

      Besides serving as something of an insult to the development team, the larger issue that is being brought up is that such moves cheapen certain elements of the game and instead put the focus on the outlandishness, or particularly the sex elements. Even though that is certainly a part of the series, putting all attention towards those elements does mean that the freeform inventive gameplay the series truly revolves around, starts getting downplayed not only in media coverage, but potentially in design philosophy as well.

      It’s no secret that sex and video games is an awkward topic, due in large part to the awkward way that it has been handled in the medium to date. While “Saints Row” isn’t exactly a paragon of virtue when it comes to the representation of women, the buck has to stop somewhere when it comes to exploiting the matter, and even in a series as outlandish as this one, it’s nice to know there is someone behind the scenes who is thinking about the effect the matter has on gameplay above all.

      Reviews

      How Martin O’Donnell Got Paul McCartney to Help Him On Destiny

      August 2, 2013 /

      Destiny_08

      Booting up “Halo: CE” for the first time was just one of those moments.

      While the thrill of playing a new console (the Xbox) and the hype the game had generated shortly before release were enough to amp you up before you even booted the game, it was the moment the main screen appeared that you immediately realized you were about to embark on something special. That’s because it was the moment you heard the “Halo” theme in all its glory.

      Not only does it remain one of the best gaming themes of all time, but to this day it stands as one of the few musical themes across all mediums that manages to perfectly convey the material it represents, as its haunting intensity can flood memories of long nights of play into your conscious with no more than a note.

      It’s the kind of work a composer could hang his hat on and call it a career, but that isn’t the case for “Halo’s” composer Martin O’Donnell, who has continued to work on the famed series, and who’s newest task sees him composing the theme to Bungie’s new game “Destiny.” That’s no small task considering that Bungie is trying to work with a clean slate not reliant on any previous success, meaning they’ll need a theme as epic as the one in “Halo,” but without being the one in “Halo.”

      To help him in this herculian task, O’Donnell has recruited a man that’s had more than a little experience in producing hits over changing conditions.

      Sir Paul McCartney working on an FPS with the composer of “Halo” may sound like an odd (or even dreamlike) scenario, but its roots are much more humble. As O’Donnell explains it, he was talking with a friend that worked on “Rock Band” when McCartney was helping that team out, and the friend mentioned that they could name drop O’Donnell to the rock legend. O’Donnell said why the hell not and since McCartney had played “Halo” with his grandkids (imagine that for a moment) knew O’Donnell’s work and took the chance to assist him with “Destiny.”

      According to O’Donnell, McCartney is always excited to work on new ventures, and has brought a fresh perspective, as well as his tape loop machine used on Sgt. Peppers and years of experience, to the process. The combination of these great minds, has to date produced a 50 minute soundtrack which, according to O’Donnell, tells its own story within “Destiny” and will be released separately ahead of the game.

      From the ambitious looking footage, its clear that Bungie has no interest in selling “Destiny” as a carbon copy FPS with “From the makers of Halo” stamped on the box, and this move to reach out to, and attract, a legend like McCartney is further proof of that, and that even in a crowded gaming line up we should all be keeping an eye on “Destiny” and an ear on its theme in anticipation of one of those moments.

      News

      Signs Point Vaguely to a New Bully Game on the Horizon

      July 31, 2013 /

      Original_jimmy

      Despite being known for a few distinct franchises (like that Grand Theft Whatsitsname), the fine folks at Rockstar have historically never been afraid to abandon their laurels and attempt to create new, and exciting properties.

      While some of those attempts turn into “Rockstar Table Tennis” (which is still fun in its own right), many more become noteworthy, if flawed, titles like 2006’s “Bully,” a game which tasked you with taking the role of a mischievous 15 year old at a pristine boarding school, as he pranks, learns, and generally tries to figure out his young life through a series of misadventures.

      It was a cult classic type game that certainly had its fanbase, but didn’t set the world on fire like that other Rockstar franchise. This was mostly due to an overreliance on fetch quest missions, and a general unevenness brought about between a conflict between the games more structured, but enjoyable aspects (such as attending classes, and seeking out side missions) and a determination to force the “sandbox” style gameplay in, though it often felt out of place.

      Still though, it had potential, which may be what publisher Take Two thinks, since they’ve filed a trademark registration for the “Bully” property indicating, among other possibilities, a potential interest in returning to the franchise by releasing a sequel.

      Now this is far from a guarantee, but it does make since considering Rockstar’s history of reviving franchises with potential once they feel the current technology allows for it with typically sterling results (See: “GTA III,” “Red Dead Redemption,” and “Max Payne 3”). Considering “Bully” had so much going for it initially, then the thoughts of a similar revival on par with those examples is exciting, and is enough to request everybody keep their fingers crossed that this news be confirmed soon so we can all enjoy the results.

      Plus, success for a future “Bully” title, could mean the revival of “The Warriors.”

      the-warriors

      Because I Freaking Loved That Game

      News

      Nintendo versus other gaming companies like Zynga

      July 30, 2013 /

      The gaming world seems to change faster than most industries these days. Several years ago Nintendo was on fire with the Wii, and now everyone seems down on the company and Wii U. How did things change so fast? Well, it shouldn’t be surprising in a world where cheap apps are flooded onto the scene, offering new options daily for gaming fans, and online gaming options seem to expand exponentially as well, with everything from slot games at Sports Interaction, massive multiplayer games and then games like Minecraft that seem to turn conventional wisdom on its head. The console makers seemed to rule the world just several years ago, and then social gaming companies like Zynga suddenly became powerhouses, but now we’ve seen how quickly things change. Wii also will be facing the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in coming months, so even in its own console space the competition is fierce.

      But many still have faith in Nintendo. Oddworld Inhabitants founder Lorne Lanning recently made the bold statement that Nintendo would be around for another 100 years, while Zynga would not. Casual observers might be startled a bit by this statement, but when you look more closely at the history, the man has an excellent point. Nintendo is a 124-year-old company that was founded in 1889 as a producer of playing cards. The concept of innovation has been ingrained in this company and its financials are very healthy. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has made it clear he won’t be laying off development staff to deal with short term problems, as that would destroy the company long term. He understands that the key to long term success involves consistently producing great products. He shouldn’t let the short term analysts distort his thinking.

      While this culture is ingrained at Nintendo, a young company like Zynga has less to fall back on in tough times. Their games exploded in popularity off of Facebook, but then reality set in when the landscape was changed a bit. Now who knows how they will react to adversity? I wouldn’t make a long-term bet on them.

      So when you look at the landscape out there, it’s clear that games will come and go, and so will gaming companies. But I think a company like Nintendo with a tradition of innovation should be able to ride out the highs and lows.

      Apps, Editorial, Gaming, Nintendo Wii, Websites

      Company of Heroes 2 Has Mightily Upset Its Russian Fans

      July 26, 2013 /

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      Since it emphasized all of the things I like about RTS games, and played down the aspects that keep me away, the original “Company of Heroes” won me over in 2006, and even snagged a few game of the year awards.

      However, even though I knew a sequel was due out, I wasn’t exactly waiting with bated breath. That being the case, its release was a pretty quiet one and besides hearing some vague rumblings of it being pretty good, since it didn’t shake the world like the original, that was about the extent of my knowledge regarding the release until recently.

      What happened? Well in pursuing Metacritic, I stumbled on “Company of Heroes 2” and couldn’t help but notice that while the critic’s score was a respectable 80, the user review was a not so respectable 2.0

      Why the discrepancy? Was it “SimCity” style DRM issues? Was it “Kane and Lynch” critic bribing being revealed? Was the review version completely different or something?

      No, actually, it turns out the negative reviews come almost entirely from Russian gamers offended over the portrayal of the Russian army in the game, where they commit a fair number of atrocities including shooting their own men, sending soldiers out with no guns, and in general being kind of evil, moral free bastards with whatever it takes mentalities.

      The uncomfortable part of this matter is that many occurrences portrayed are actually based off of historically accurate events. While many of the games detractors acknowledge that, the problem seems to be that the major focus on the army is on those negative occurrences, to the point that playing like a dick becomes an integral gameplay aspect.

      underfire

      Honestly my first reaction to this was a hearty “lighten up” as it sounded like a case of overly sensitive people trashing a title for virtual slights. Not to mention the whole “soldiers going to battle without guns” thing was done in the original “Call of Duty,” and I don’t remember anyone throwing a hissy fit about it.

      Though I suppose that it was portrayed more heroically there, rather than in a manner of considering the mass death of your soldiers to be “tactically sound.”

      Actually I think that is the whole point to this protest. Few had a bloodier and more brutal WWII than the Russians, yet in mainstream (especially American) entertainment, their contributions are mostly either ignored, belittled, or reduced to the most horrific tales of war as a plot device where other countries get to be the heroes.

      Russian gamers probably saw “COH 2” as a chance for their story to be told in a way that people might actually get to experience. No doubt upon seeing that their army plays like a more hardcore version of the GLA from “Command and Conquers: Generals,” they thought instead that here is another game that fails to focus on anything but the negative, and will probably add to the general, not entirely accurate, perception of the Russians in WWII that too many share.

      It likely wasn’t the intention of the “COH 2” developers to offend Russian players so tremendously, but considering that is exactly what happened, it’s probably time they swallowed their own pride and started making heartfelt apologies rather than the “We apologize…but that stuff still totally happened” stance they are taking now.

      Editorial

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